Patriots 30, Vikings 7

The Vikings fall 30-7 to the Patriots today @ TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.  The Vikings drop to 1-1 on the season.  This was an ugly game from the Vikings perspective, too many penalties, too many dropped balls, too many missed assignments, and their QB play was just abysmal.  I didn't see many positives, it was a bit of a reality check too, given the Vikings 5-0 start (including that 4-0 preseason) under Mike Zimmer.  They are without a doubt, still a work in progress.

Observations:

• No Adrian Peterson today, and rightfully so.  He was missed though.
• The Vikings opening drive was a thing of beauty, after that though?  Blah. 
• Turnovers:  Vikings 4, Patriots 0
• The Vikings pass rush needs to do a much better job of getting to the QB. 
• Get the ball in Cordarrelle Patterson's hands.  
• Matt Kalil's second year slump appears to be carrying over to his third year. 
• The Patriots clearly won the battle of the trenches, both on the OL & DL. 
• Matt Cassel's throws down field are an adventure. 
• That pass interference call on Greg Jennings was awful.  
• Kyle Rudolph needs to hold onto the football.  
• The pass interference call on Xavier Rhodes was also awful. 
• The rumors of Tom Brady's demise are greatly exaggerated.  
• You need to play mistake free football to beat a Bill Belichick coached team. 
• Chandler Jones is a handful at DE for the Patriots. 
• The Vikings secondary will need to step up their game. 
• It appears that teams are going to be targeting Xavier Rhodes. 
• Matt Cassel is not going to hold onto his starting role playing like he did.
• The Vikings had nobody to contain Julian Edelman. 
• The Patriots special teams were impressive today. 
• Outdoor football in September!  Sweet!  
• Up next?  @ New Orleans to take on the Saints.